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Financing the Deal
Finding Funds in a Tough Economic Climate
All is not grim for healthcare companies looking to expand during a rocky economy while also facing looming uncertainty in healthcare policy. But success will require pragmatism, understanding the industry sectors in which companies wish to invest, working within established relationships, as well as keeping an eye towards reform. These were just a few of the take away points at the Nashville Health Care Council's recent panel program, "Financing the Deal: Strategic Issues for Health Care Companies."
COLLEEN CREAMER |
Preparing for Pandemic
Lessons Learned Along the Way
Are we better prepared to deal with a major, widespread threat today than we were a decade ago?
"Oh man, absolutely!" was the unequivocal answer given by Tim Jones, MD, state epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health.
CINDY SANDERS |
Vital Signs
A bill in play at the State Capitol is hoping to change the way care, specifically medication, is administered in nursing homes.
Special to Medical News from Walker Duncan, NashvillePost.com |
How Would You Like to Pay for That?
Using a Retail Mentality in a Healthcare Setting
In these tight economic times when providers are already facing shrinking reimbursements, who can really afford to write off income? Yet, hospitals and practices leave money on the table every single day.
CINDY SANDERS |
Transparency: A Two-Way Street
THA Calls for Payers to Pony Up on Data
"From our perspective, transparency seems to be a one-way street," said Craig Becker, president of the Tennessee Hospital Association. He added that in today's increasingly "pay-for-performance" environment, providers are expected to post everything from charges to outcomes. However, payers … for the most part … have not reciprocated with their own data.
CINDY SANDERS |
Frien-emies
Helping Providers, Payers Learn to Play Well Together
On the face of it, providers and payers have the same objective – to dispense high quality, evidence-based care in an efficient and cost effective manner to ultimately improve outcomes. Somewhere along the line, however, reality diverged from the mission statements, often resulting in a "them" vs. "us" mentality.
CINDY SANDERS |
Metro General Hospital: Why Nashville Physicians Should Be Concerned
Once again, discussion of healthcare reform is taking the national stage. This is an extremely complicated and important topic that involves many issues including cost, reimbursement, insurance and regulatory oversight to name only a few. Access to care is one issue that must be a central part of the discussion for physicians, nationally and locally.
M. KATHLEEN FIGARO, MD, MS |
Trusted Advisors: Innovations In Prosthetics
Today, people have several choices when selecting a cosmetic cover for their prosthetic hand and arm. These range from durable vinyl production gloves to realistic high-definition custom silicone cosmetic covers. Traditionally, prosthetic gloves were offered in relatively low-definition PVC material with a limited range of colors. These production gloves gave the prosthesis a more natural appearance and provided protection for the components against moisture and dirt. Unfortunately, there is no standard for cosmetic colors, so each supplier has its own collection of skin colors. Prosthetists can obtain color swatches from the supplier and match these as best they can to the user's skin tone. Due to the limited number of colors, this process does not assure a perfect color match.
Rob Pittman, CPO/L,President Superior Orthotics and Prosthetics |
Cardiovascular Systems of Care
Remote Follow-up of Patients with Implantable Defibrillators and Pacemakers; Moving from Follow-up to Disease Management
The rate of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation has increased considerably over the last few years as primary and secondary prevention trials have consistently shown significant improvement in mortality and morbidity. ICDs are now indicated in the majority of patients with an ejection fraction of 35% or less. These patients are susceptible to atrial fibrillation, which is a major risk for stroke, and almost all of them have congestive heart failure. Pacemakers continue to be used routinely in otherwise healthy patients who have bradycardia.
George H. Crossley, III, M.D., FHRS, FACC |
Physician Spotlight: Edwin Anderson and John Thompson
Heritage Physicians Join MDVIP to Offer Concierge Medicine
"With one eye on the patient and one eye on the clock." That's how John Thompson Jr., MD, described the practice of most internists today. What's different about Thompson and colleague Edwin Anderson Jr., MD, is that they did something to change that.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Maury Regional, Vanderbilt Early Adopters of New Radiation Technology
Dosimeter Improves Radiation Accuracy for Cancer Treatment
Maury Regional and Vanderbilt medical centers are the first in Tennessee to use a new implantable device to measure the actual radiation dose delivered at a tumor site. Called the DVS®-HFT, the dosimeter is the invention of North Carolina-based Sicel Technologies, which received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March for the dosimeter's use in treating breast and prostate cancer.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Virtual Colonoscopy Trial Hails Preventive Procedure, But Medicare Not So Sure
Ask radiology experts and virtually all of them will say that virtual colonoscopies are a less expensive, less invasive and effective alternative to conventional colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer. Yet there’s a flip side to that view – that CT colonography, as it is more formally known, is inefficient, since a regular colonoscopy must follow if the CTC finds anything suspicious.
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
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